


From Within

by Eric_Longtooth



Category: Lobotomy Corporation (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Violence, Character Death, Original Character(s), Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:15:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27198373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eric_Longtooth/pseuds/Eric_Longtooth
Summary: X has had a long career of... something. They can't remember what they specialised in, nor can they remember how they got here.Thankfully, the resident AI of the facility is more then happy to fill in the gaps in his memory.Hopefully, this will be an easy job, after all, he managed to get to a managerial position, so it can't be too bad.... hopefully.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 31





	1. Mission Start

[Open Data Log: Angela-Director / Correspondence / 23XX/XX/XX]

/::{ Angela } | Do you think that some things are better left forgotten?

/::{ Angela } | You had told me once that to forget the past is the ultimate form of hubris.

/::{ Angela } | So why are you so insistent on leaving my memory?

/::{ Sys.Admin } | User:Director is offline. Last online…

/::{ Sys.Admin } | Data Corrupted.

/::{ Angela } | ...

/::{ Angela } | Just close the log. It doesn’t matter.

/::{ Sys.Admin } | Affirmative. 

[Data Log End]

[User: X, Day: 1]

X walked into the room with an uncertain hesitance as one of their hands adjusted the uncomfortable red tie that shone so brightly, at least in contrast to their standard black and white suit. Around them, the dark grey metal walls were filled with illuminated teal monitors displaying a standard screensaver that bounced around the confines of its metal cage. Every spot the shining screens didn’t cover however, held either a flat bareness, or was covered in pipes and wires that wormed around the large office room. 

On the far side of the room, a simple, albeit large wooden desk with a high-backed leather chair behind it. It was completely clear, though X noted what appeared to be a cardboard box next to it that was overflowing slightly with random personal effects. 

It wasn’t their own, so they could only assume it was the previous manager’s things. 

That could only bode well.

They walked forward into the room, a slight wince upon their lips as their dress shoes forced a grating ‘zip’ sound as they rubbed against the finely corrugated metal flooring. At the very least, it would be a motivation to learn to pick up their feet instead of the half drag they were so used to. 

X idly ran a hand across the surface of the desk as they moved around to take a seat, the creak of the aged wooden structure echoing across the room as it cut and fought against the dull hum of the ceiling fans. 

They let out a sigh as they lent back, leaving their eyes to be turned skyward to the vent grate placed directly above the desk. 

“It is an odd placement, is it not?” A new voice cut through the still air, soft but commanding. A voice that demanded attention, but not through the gravelled anger of politics, instead just by filling the room and leaving nothing left to distract. 

X quickly snapped their gaze to the door as the hydraulics snapped it closed with a dangerous, threatening force. Their mind quickly jumping to whoever could be interrupting at this point in time, of which X could only think of his assistant he had yet to meet. The newcomer, however, didn't look like an assistant in the slightest. They stood like a monarch of old, clad in an ironed white lab coat over a near identical suit to their own, albeit with a deep crimson tie that made X’s eyes itch instead of his brighter variation.

“The director was quite insistent on its placement, but in saying that, many managers before you had tried to explore it.” The newcomer continued, her long white hair flowing behind her as her hands were clasped over the small of her back, her stride seeming to be so self assured X was certain the floor would level out just for her. Her eyes seemed to be closed, like that of a corpse being lowered into a grave, despite her having less than no hesitation in her steps. “I could say that they never returned, but that would be quite untrue. In fact, the only place that vent will lead is to the central ventilation room. Not even connected in the slightest to the dangers of this facility.” 

“But that is neither here nor there. Let us exchange introductions while we still have time, after all you start in fifty-seven minutes.” She commented, her eyes, despite having no visible pupils, seemed to never leave X’s, even for a moment. “My name is Angela, and I am the primary assistant to any manager in the facility. I’ve seen many people come through here, so let us hope your career here is as successful as possible before you retire.” 

X opened their mouth to respond, only for Angela to cut them off and keep talking anyway. “This means that I will be supporting you in your work as the new manager, I know this may be sudden, but since the previous manager had been so inept, the void that needs to be filled is quite demanding.” She adopted a slight smile, not unlike the one a mother would give their child when they were about to make a mistake. “Along with myself, there is one head of each department, and though they will be handling these departments, you will be in charge of making them work together. In addition to this, you will have a smaller collection of subjects to manage, but the other heads of department will be able to assist if it is too much work for you.” 

“H-how long have you been there?” X tried, throwing forward the general attempt at casual conversation for the purpose of... honestly, he expected to have been interrupted again, so getting this far was more of a general accomplishment. 

“I have been here for a very long time.” The assistant responded vaguely, her eyes opening a crack to reveal an unnatural glow of fiery gold.The sight set X’s heart off rhythm, leaving a feeling of burning confusion within their breast. “I am what you would call an Artificial Intelligence, though I can already see you thinking of the standard examples of shopping clerks; I assure you, I am much more than they can ever hope to be.” She stopped at one of the front corners of the desk, her high heels seemingly slotted into a well-worn groove as her smile grew smug. “I’m sure many people lost their jobs because of me, though in the name of progress that is just an unavoidable side effect of it.” 

Yet again, X tried to speak up, only to be cut off by the continuing vocal information dump of the resident AI as her nigh’ expressionless face morphed into a slightly admonishing look. “All sorts of new algorithms and functions were created, forming a new chapter of AI history just from the creation of myself. You may not believe it, but that is simply the truth, any attempt to deny it would be a waste of time.” The corners of her mouth turned upwards in a look of mild satisfaction and amusement as she continued. “Some may say that I am the only AI in the world to fully understand and replicate human emotions.” 

One of her hands unclasped from their position, moving forward and down into one of the lab coat pockets before pulling out what appears to be a clock. A simple box of aluminium, about the size of a glasses case with the time ‘00:00’ on the front in glowing blue numbers. She places it in front of X, the ring of metal on the desk glaringly absent. “There are three buttons on top, a pause button, a play, and a fast forward. I’m sure you can figure out which is which. Once your shift starts, it will begin to count upward.” She pets it like one would pat a beloved animal, or perhaps how a soldier would care for their dutiful rifle.

“I am sure you are aware we work with ‘Abnormalities.’ Things that do not make sense within the logical structure of human civilisation. This is one of them.” X flinched back in slight uncontrolled fright, causing Angela to smirk slightly as her eyes returned to their closed state. “Do not worry, this one won’t hurt you at all. It simply controls the flow of time outside of this room, so if you find yourself needing more time, feel free to pause it. But at the same time, if you are just waiting for things to pass, the fast-forward button is right there.”

She turned on the spot, her movements graceful and perfectly refined. Each expenditure of energy spent in the most meaningful ways, leaving nothing wasted as she starts back to the entrance. “Remember, the day only ends when the required amount of energy is generated. If you must stay up all night, I will make sure to return with some caffeine. It is only the first day, so I hope it won’t come to that.” She quipped over her shoulder before disappearing into the darkness past the door. 

X had a feeling this was going to be a long career.

[-----]

After setting themselves up with their company issued laptop, a thick, blocky slab that let out a sorrowful creek of overworked hinges as it opened, X took a moment to explore the desk before them. 

Aside from the box next to it, which they noted had a fine layer of dust cresting the top, the metallic workbench has a pair of drawers under it, one to the left and another to the right. In the left, there was a small calibre pistol with five rounds in its six slotted revolving cylinder, the tip of the barrel had a dark, crusted red ichor, leaving X to return it and ignore its existence promptly. 

More interesting however, was the right drawer. Like one would expect, there was a fair few papers within it, most within a millina folder that sat upon the top of the pile whilst a few others seemed crammed around the edges. 

Running a calloused hand across the label, reading simply as ‘codex,’ X was faced with a tug upon the harp-like strings of their heart. A dark, melancholy feeling of questionable origin and unseen meanings. 

With a sigh, X placed the folder on the top of the desk and shuffled through the scrap papers within the drawer. Some were simple, a receipt for equipment or a scrap bit of paper with unimportant scribbles. Others were, however, more interesting. Printed out recordings of meetings between folk labelled only with single letters, much like himself.

“Maybe that is a sort of classification… the first manager being A, then B, etcetera.” X mused, starting to sort the papers into neat piles for later consumption. With a glance at the clock, still reading zeros, X spared a moment to look through one of the older papers, yellowed with age. 

[-----( Angela-Myo / Correspondence / [REDACTED] )-----]

/::{ Angela } | So you are the leader of the ‘rabbit’ team, correct?

/::{ Myo } | *Inaudible* 

/::{ Angela } | I am assuming you have been briefed on the protocols of post-operation clean up. 

/::{ Angela } | Do you have any questions?

/::{ Myo } | *Inaudible*

/::{ Angela } | If you are going to speak, take your helmet off. This is just becoming childish. 

*A quiet click and depressurization rings out.*

/::{ Myo } | It is part of our identity, but I am assuming you are having some problems with the scrambling, right?

/::{ Angela } | I am above such matters, I am more than just the machines you try to trick with that. But I would still rather not waste my microseconds dealing with your pride.

/::{ Myo } | Pah, sure. Save your face all you want, let’s just get this over with.

/::{ Angela } | …

/::{ Angela } | Regardless, take note that any of your troops must submit to a class five memory wipe after their dealings. 

/::{ Angela } | You’re exempt from this, but as we had discussed with your employer, you will be permanently stationed within the facility. When you leave, you will have to take a class eight, is that understood?

/::{ Myo } | You realise that this will hold my rabbits back, right? If they need to enter unknown hunting grounds every single time they are called, there is no way they can operate at their full potential.

/::{ Angela } | This is non-negotiable. It is in the contract, and if you have a problem with it, I suggest talking to your boss.

/::{ Myo } | If I want to talk to them, I would have to leave the facility.

/::{ Angela } | That is correct.

/::{ Myo } | And if I leave, I will lose my memories of this place.

/::{ Angela } | Also correct.

/::{ Myo } | So the reason for leaving would be pointless.

/::{ Angela } | *quiet slow clapping*

/::{ Angela } | Congratulations, you are learning how to play your part. 

/::{ Angela } | Do not worry, in the end, all you need to do is follow the stage directions and you’ll make your final bow exactly when it is needed. 

[-----( Recording End )-----]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the fanfic.  
> Tags will be updated as the story progresses, and updates will be a bit odd with timing due to the absolute mess that is 2020. 
> 
> Hopefully, this peaks your interest. And if not, well I would love to hear what gripes you have with it. 
> 
> Until next time,  
> \- Eric
> 
> 27/01/2021: Going through some minor edits in preparation for new chapters.


	2. First Success

[User: X, Day: 1, End]

The day had, more or less, gone without a hitch of any kind. Between a trio of decently competent staff members, the occasional messages of advice from Angela appearing in the corner of his monitor, and the ‘codex’ of information laying next to X, it was hardly even challenging. 

X lent back in their chair, savouring the cracks of their back and joints as they stretched. Sure, it wasn’t difficult, but watching actual people be reduced to cartoonish icons on a screen just.. Rubbed them the wrong way. An unexplained feeling of discomfort, followed only by questions. Questions within questions. 

But there wasn’t any time for that, the pitiful grumble within the depths of their gut took priority for now. 

As they rose from their seat and started to move to the door, the ring of hydraulics heralded the first obstacle in the quest for nutrition. This being in the form of a young lady with short cut brown hair, a red headband, a sharp suit, and a notepad in one hand. 

The notepad was, in a single word, ratty. With only a few pages left, and a good chunk of the used paper crumpled as it wrapped over the top, it was filled with singular lines that seemed to be broken at random intervals and interrupted only by detailed sketches of random objects and people. 

“Oh, Manager! I’m glad I caught you before you left. I had been hoping to meet you before the start of the work day but things came up.” She hurriedly explained, not quite in a panicked way, but instead more of an audio spam of information. With the gaps between words only just long enough to differentiate between them, but not enough to make listening to it comfortable. 

‘A brutal efficiency she seems to share with Angela then…’ X noted, nodding along to the newcomer as they formulate a response. “Well, that’s fine, I’m glad to catch you now then. I assume you’re the head of the Control team?”

“Yep! I’m Malkuth, and I’ll be the Sephirah you’ll be interacting with the most for the first couple days.” She, Malkuth, set out her free hand as an offering of a handshake, one that was quickly taken. “I’ll be here if you have any questions, and I’ll try my best to teach you everything you need to know.” 

“Awesome, I’ll be sure to keep it in mind. I’m assuming your office is the one the cameras are listing as ‘out of bounds’?” X asked slyly, overcome with a touch of careful hesitance. ‘Why though? Why am I worrying so much? This is literally just a job, there is nothing to worry about.’ They mentally kicked themselves, of course the camera was disabled, it was probably a bathroom or something of that vein. 

“I’m not sure what you mean, Manager, but I’ll have one of my employees look over it just in case.” She responded innocently as she retracted her hand and plucked a pen from her pocket before running it over the page, making another dotted line. 

If it meant something to her, that's all that mattered X supposed.

“Alright, I’ll forward a picture to you when I get back to my computer.” X covered themselves, it was too late to pretend it didn’t happen, so at the very least they can get some information out of it. “I’m just about to go get some food, so unless there is something else, I should probably get going.” 

“Oh, apologies manager,” Mulkuth bowed slightly, little more than an inclination of the head but the point went across just fine. “If you don’t mind, I did have something to work on. I can’t handle it right at the moment, and the timely fulfilment of it was requested, so if you could do it I would be very thankful.” 

X mused over it as they moved forward now that the AI had shifted off to the side, allowing his passage. Her tone implied she would much, much rather they didn’t, though the chances of the reason being malicious was more than unlikely. “What is it first?”

“We had a new abnormality come in the other day, but my department suffered some heavy casualties,” The way she all but spat the fact set X back, a hatred of the action itself? Or perhaps an issue with the cause? It was unclear for the moment. “So we can’t quite handle it, I’ve already requested a transfer of more competent staff from Hod’s department, but I don’t think it will be ready for tomorrow.” 

“What classification are we talking about? Any details I should know about?” X pressed, a crease in their brow as they mentally catalogue what they can and can’t deal with. Considering his direct jurisdiction only had a pair Zayins, they probably wouldn’t touch anything above a Teth, but even that might be a bit much for the second day. 

“Unsure, but you can get one of your staff to investigate before tomorrow. Just have them ask around the deliveries, it should be the latest one in.” She shrugged with a slight frown, before her expression popped in remembrance for a moment as she continued. “But make sure it is an employee! Has Angela told you? No? Alright, well, you are not to explore the work side of the facility, you are only permitted to stay within the ‘civilian sector.’ The deliveries are more of a grey zone, but abnormalities are definitely not safe enough for you to see.” 

… what?

“No, she hadn’t mentioned that.” X grumbled, their eyes narrowing at the thought. Sure, they didn’t want to risk their life too much, but being straight up told they can’t even look at the place they are managing in person? That was… an interesting choice. “So I am expected to just observe through the cameras? What if something happened to them? Would I be able to go and direct the efforts from the actual departments?”

“Absolutely not.” Mulkuth responded with no shortage of surprised indignation. “If something happened that affected your ability to react, the Sephirot would just need to step in until the issue could be resolved.” 

“Hm.” 

“Does this not make sense, manager?” She asked with a tilted head.

“No, it doesn’t, but that doesn’t matter. As long as your people can handle things without me, that should be enough of a backup plan.” After all, the chances of a failure like that… they are just worrying about things that haven’t even given a sliver of evidence that it would happen. 

It’ll be fine.

[-----]

The canteen was spartan. With a trio of long benches and tables, each able to sit ten people either side, along with a few vending machines around the walls and a ‘serve yourself’ buffet line of containers. 

More interesting however, was the number of people in there. 

The reason?

There was no one. 

Even the employees X had seen through his monitor, that should be filing in for a meal before they dispersed into their own chambers for the night, were notably absent. It left the cavernous room as silent as a graveyard, making X’s footsteps echo like strikes against the taut skin of a war drum.

The food was still steaming, with a selection of greens and a thick, tough slab that could be described as ‘meat’ if you’d never seen some before. Whilst there were signs of people having taken bits and pieces throughout the day, there was still way too much for X, which only served to deepen their suspicion. 

It was far from a nice meal, even as they sat alone on a corner of the bench, entire meters in every direction of them holding nothing but the sterile plastic of a corporate canteen. But, in saying that, there was none of the sickly, ringing noises that could be called ‘music’ set on repeat that other places they had worked in had. Sure, it might have been pleasant at one point, but after the eightieth loop, anything would devolve into senseless drivel. 

Small mercies, they supposed. 

Where had they worked before here? It felt like so long ago...

As the hard tack known as ‘meat’ slowly was worn down by teeth and metal utensil, X fished out their phone to listen to some recordings they managed to get a hold of after mentioning the paper bound versions to Angela. 

Unfortunately, she was quite insistent on taking the ‘unmoderated versions’ and replacing them with cleaner copies, both in audio and paperback. 

Perhaps it was a mistake, but it is a mistake for a later X to deal with. 

With a quick trio of taps into the search bar, they selected the first file that came up with the name ‘Myo.’ 

[-----| Myo, Abnormality Escape, Date [REDACTED]/11/5 |-----]

Quick, humid breaths crackled against the microphone, each intake and exhale nearly covered the stamp of boots down a metal corridor. The slap and clinks of metal equipment bounced against what could only be assumed to be heavy combat armour, though the condition of the weapons, if there even were any, was completely up to debate. 

Soon, quietly, a voice from ahead started to filter into the mic. Slowly gaining volume as Myo approached whatever destination she had in mind.

“Stay the fuck out of my way, little girl.” The other voice called, thick and gravelly, but with the ever so slight touch of female vocal cords. The sound was quickly joined by a trio of gunshots from Myo and a cry of outrage from the other. “Well! Fine! I’ll add your head to the wall as well!”

Metal ground against metal as something twips past Myo’s head and lodges into the wall with a shriek of protest. A boot met the gut before the proud BOOM of a shotgun echoed painfully in the wall.

The rubber soles of Myo’s boots screamed painfully as she thundered to a stop a short distance back, only for her to dash back into the fray with the whip of a cape and the cracks of her rifle. 

Noises clashed in a senseless barrage of feral grunts, gunpowder blasts, and the ring of tormented steel, in time, the other person faded into a memory as the meaty smack of flesh hitting the floor resounded down the hallway. 

Myo breathes for a moment, a cycle of in, wait, out, as she fights back fatigue for just this moment. 

In time, her footsteps returned as she pushed onward, ever onward, only for them to stop as a voice called out.

A familiar voice, a too familiar voice.

X’s voice. 

“Well done. Though, I am afraid it was ultimately pointless.”

[-----| Recording End |-----]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens... but only a little.  
> Thanks for sticking around so far, but we still have a fair bit to go before we can get any closure...  
> Hehehe  
> \- Eric
> 
> 27/01/2021: Minor edits, same as the previous chapter.


	3. Investigation

[User X, Day 2, Prelude] 

To say X slept poorly would be an understatement. In fact, some may even claim they didn’t sleep all, if they discounted the hazy memories of missing a handful of hours watching the clock count towards the next day. 

It was a point that they weren’t even sure themselves. 

But alas, there was work to be done. So, early in the morning, a good few hours before they needed to start, X left his allotted room. Seeing as watching the fluctuations of the lightbulb in his room was hardly productive, they instead set out to complete their own personal mission. 

To break the rules. 

X had no idea why that was the first thing to come to mind, in fact, they felt it may just be out of character for them, but in the end, something was amiss. If they were going to find out what, they would need to get into places they aren’t supposed to. In this case, it would be the Abnormality storage area. 

A suitable start, considering if they were discovered X had the expectation that it would at worst deserve a slap on the wrist, especially if they feigned ignorance. 

Probably. 

And so, X had set out through the winding corridors and twisting passageways with only a vague direction in mind. All the maps they could find ended up incomplete, or simply segmented into small sections with no clear connection between them. 

But, there was one clear point that all the maps agreed on, that being a room simply labelled ‘F5.’ 

In some maps, it was front and center, in others a footnote around the border. But, more often than not, it was somewhere, even if it was hidden under a different name. Some said it was a maintenance room, others a server bank, one of the oddest mentioned something about melted cheese storage. 

If X could get there, judging from the asymmetrical design of the room, they could use it as a point of reference to get a general idea where to find the Abnormality Storage was.

Hopefully. 

[-----]

“Good morning X.” Angela greeted blindly, gliding across the floor as she entered the room. Her attention splintered across the numerous tasks she needed to complete to keep the corporation running.

She waited for a moment, leaving only enough of her mind in her physical manifestation to alert her to when the slow, slow human reaction time caught up to her greeting and returned it.

Any moment now. 

But, it didn’t come. There was only silence to greet her from within X’s office. 

Odd.

She cracked open her eyes, allowing the optics to begin gathering data as she allocated more resources to herself, leaving a few non-essential hallways without automatic doors. 

She glanced about the room, her golden gaze lazily floating around to see where her target was standing, or even sitting. But, her sensors only returned negatives. 

That wasn’t good.

[-----]

X was certain this was a bad idea, but it was too late now. Too late as they were now lost, incredibly so. 

At some point they made a turn they shouldn’t have, and the normal sleek, whitewashed metal halls had turned to something different. Nothing like any of the other departments X had seen through the cameras, (though in saying that the cartoonish filter might make that point moot) and hardly something they would call ‘friendly.’

Decrepit lights flickered above them, some hanging out of their sockets and holding on only by a thin cable, others had burst completely, leaving glass shards scattered under them. The walls were some sort of plastic wallpaper masquerading as wooden floorboards, often being faded, melted and dripping onto the floor, or peeled up to reveal what X could only assume to be stone. 

X’s dress shoes clicked against the off-yellow and red mosaic tiles underfoot, the only firm, known sound they could hear. Even the flickering or dripping seemed to be mute, as if someone had taken a TV remote to them all, leaving only themselves untouched. 

It was eerie, and yet familiar. X had felt their feet automatically weave around obstacles, be it melted ooze, or even just a crumpled bit of paper. It left their mind to wander, and their eyes to watch vigilantly against any sort of disturbance. 

The maps had said X would need to walk for a fair distance before any sort of twist, bend, or even door would show. But, X could only wonder about the space efficiency of such a thing.

Sure, having the administration building isolated would allow for greater defence against any sort of abnormality breach, but something told them they were currently underground, so wouldn’t having such sprawling buildings be incredibly uneconomical?

Who would have the money to produce a network of underground buildings able to contain enough abnormalities to warrant… what was it? Six departments? Nine? 

Though in saying that, Angela was advanced tech, perhaps they sold the patent for her and made enough money to do whatever they wanted?

Soon however, X reached the end of the road, with only two directions forward. 

The path led to a T junction, with the left side ending in an elevator labelled ‘Main Facility’ over the rusted metal door in bright red, neon letters. Flickering and sparking every moment or so. The right however, ended in a door. 

Unlike the surrounding hallway which, yet again, could be described as ‘synthetic cabin in the woods’ if one was generous enough, the door was grim industrial to the extreme. 

Black, almost featureless metal with only a slight gap bisecting it into even parts in a horizontal line, albeit one that shifted along the way in the general semblance of cog teeth, as well as a circular orb of red light sitting about head height. 

Down to the side of the door, sitting on the frame, a keypad and screen sat, more than likely to open and close the heavy-duty… door didn’t really cover it, did it? X would label it more to be some sort of gate. Airlock even. Something so sturdy they doubted even the tiny oxygen particles around them could make their way through it. 

This, unlike the elevator, had no sign to explain what it was. 

They didn’t want to go to the main facility. In part because the elevator looked more likely to break and kill them than to actually work properly, and also in part because the chance of X being found out would skyrocket. 

Since, that was where everyone was. 

So the ominous door was the only real option. Probably. Definitely. 

X’s hand reached out to the keypad thoughtlessly, a code passed through their mind and fingers without even the slightest hint of hesitation. It was almost like they… needed to do that. Or at the very least, the action had been predetermined. 

Maybe it was an abnormality? 

X suppressed a shudder at the thought, fought to ignore the anxiety tickling their spine, and instead tried to steal their determination back from their traitorous mind. Even as the door creaked and shuddered as the thick steel slid open, revealing long lines of interlocking gears having held the nearly six inches of door together. 

On the other side, the hallway had morphed into something reflecting the construction of the door. Metal grates lining the floor, holding passers-by over numerous bulbous tubes and cables running this way and that. Walls lined with doors just like the first, this time with white, chipped paint labelling each. A letter, dash, two numbers, dash, another two numbers. 

It seemed to stretch on forever, each door having around five to seven feet of gap between them. And the only real thing that caught X’s eyes in the dour black and red surroundings was a tablet. 

A pad, touchscreen, like a stretched phone. It rested upon a thin bar in the middle of the roof, hanging down and stopping about chest height. Though, the bar seemed to have a gang of arrows, one pointed up, down, forward and back. Most likely some level of mobility for the apparatus, maybe some sort of digital registrar? 

Regardless, X was almost certain this was the abnormality storage area. Though, it made them wonder what happened to the intermittent ‘maintenance room’? Had it never existed? Was it on the other side of this? Or perhaps X was just so hopelessly lost they managed to get to their ultimate destination simply by missing the intermittent location so dramatically? 

Well… now the real question was what did they plan to achieve by getting here? 

In a room, surrounded by… highly dangerous… abnormalities…

X was beginning to regret their decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the wait, Christmas time was... eventful to say the least.  
> And of course, in typical 2020 fashion, it has taken me way too long to recover and find the time to get back into writing, so... yeah.  
> Here's the next chapter, where X makes poor decisions.   
> Angela is probably not going to be happy when she finds them... oh well.  
> Hope you all enjoyed this little mess of mine.   
> \- Eric


	4. Knock at the Door

[User X, Day 2, Start] 

X was, ultimately, there for a reason. 

There was a method to the madness of walking into the middle of the storage room that held all the wonderful and terrifying Abnormalities they could imagine. Sure, at the moment, the exact process to complete the goal eluded them, but in the end, there was a reason.

That being because they were told to get the new abnormalities for their department.

Of course, X was specifically told to not do it in person, and instead send an employee to complete the process for them. To tell the employee just to look for the ‘latest one’ and move it to the right spot for managing. 

Except, X didn’t do that. 

They stood in the midst of the long hallway, flanked on either side by dozens and dozens of containment units, with only a defining number to explain what was inside. 

There were hardly any dates for the damned things, nor was there any visible ‘transport to this department’ buttons. 

X was very sure of this, even though actually touching the keypads responsible for opening the doors was completely out of the question, they had completed a thorough investigation from their spot a foot and a bit away. 

It would be reasonable to assume X expected them to be highly radioactive or something of the sort simply by the care taken to not accidentally open anything.

They looked out the corner of their eye at the tablet, waiting ominously for input. Its sleek surface is blank black, only just reflecting the dull red light from the LEDs stuck in each door, as if its surface was absorbing and consuming anything passing across it like a ravenous blackhole. 

Part of them wanted to jump into examining it, determining exactly what level of control they had over the facility around them. 

But at the same time, a small part of them seized up their muscles with anxiety, plucked upon the heartstrings and plagued the mind with ‘what if?’ 

X had no idea why they worked here. Hell, they barely knew what the corporation did. It was something about gathering energy, Angela had said as such, but why gather it from such dangerous creatures? How do they do it? 

Questions suppressed by work and the necessity of learning what to do had begun to plague them. Perhaps it would be simpler to just say they had no idea what was going on, and accept the punishments that would potentially come from it…

But… Why did they have a voice recording of them? How?

Was it something X had done prior to losing all memory of this place? And why did listening to it make it feel like X had been moments away from doing something… bad.

Well, bad was probably a bit light, all things considered. It all but sounded like a villain’s monologue before they shot someone dead. 

X wasn’t sure they could actually kill anyone… they were so afraid of death, so why would they inflict it upon someone else?

That… that was why X was here, the real reason. They couldn’t demand answers from Angela, who despite seeming quite open to question, just had the aura of… no, not even that. Something within X made it seem like asking that question was a capital B, Bad Idea. 

Though for the life of them, X had no idea why. 

[-----]

“The subject’s fear levels and mental degradation are at a level fifteen point oh nine eight percent higher than predictions.” A robotic voice responded simply, toneless and with only enough emotion to only just sound semi-human. Though in the end, that was hardly any of Angela’s concern.

It was a slaved system to her cores, acting both as something to keep Angela’s workload manageable, but also to act as a backup for the most important of projects.

Of which, it had only one that would fall into that category. 

“What specifics are the dedicated sensors finding, unit?” Angela ordered firmly from the depths of their shared cyberspace, her physical body remaining in X’s chair with only enough processing power to not spontaneously detonate or anything of the sort.

“Irrationality, madness, confusion, accelerated heart rate, loss of sensation, potential death.” The unit continued, briefly glancing over and confirming Angela’s suspicions. “Current geographical information lists as Abnormality Storage Area Beta. Potential cogito hazards present, automatic override has been used on western door, credentials match User: REDACTED.”

One of the doors she didn’t have access to. Seeing as Angela only had direct control passageways to areas listed to be ‘redacted’ or ‘expunged,’ places such as the abnormality storage areas, that often were automatically and manually accessed to cycle the active abnormalities, were left to simple codes and digital keys.

And with her attention drawn away from the surveillance systems in the area, considered an acceptable risk as Malkuth had assured her the only employees to access it would have to be from X’s department… 

Well, she had expected, like all the other times, X would have to ask her how to directly order employees to do such labour. 

“List the expanded status of X.” Angela ordered simply, her personal processing units already hard at work at updating her predictions and preparing what they can to bring the entire situation back on track. 

“Gates alpha through gamma remain uncontested, pressure against them is up by eight point eight four percent.” The cogitation device passively listed, still not as slow as the humans tend to be in their responses, but still lingering long enough for Angela to grow weary of such subpar assistance. “Personality drift reaching dangerous levels, thirty point oh three two percent, as well as thirteen point nine nine percent from last iteration.” 

“So the information feed has deviated…” Angela cut herself off, no sense in speaking to a machine that couldn’t even respond with predictions founded on anything more than math and immobile logic. Instead, it would be best to send it off to do something a bit more meaningful. “Inform Gebura of X’s location, inform her to bring them back to their office. Unharmed, specifically.” 

“Confirmed. Routing message.” 

[-----]

The tablet was about as close to something that would actually progress X’s goals as they would probably get. An obvious interface, most likely safer than the doors protecting them from whatever is on the other side of the steel barriers, and right there staring them in the face.

Should this be a game, the tablet would be the NPC ready to progress the story once the hero interacted with it.

Probably.

The uncertainty wasn’t pleasant in the slightest, if anything it was beginning to leave X frazzled and with a not-inconsiderable headache. A constant pressure that had fallen so smoothly into their lap that X was unable to accurately point to a single point and say, ‘that, right there, is when shit started to hurt.’ 

Now they were just procrastinating. 

They reached out, their fingers tracing the edges of the interface, idly curious to what sort of technology would be able to know that, yes, X was touching it, and yes, that means it should wurr its motors into action and adjust to be at a comfortable height for interaction. 

The pillar holding it to the roof seemed to move with such fluidity, it was almost like it was alive…

Or Angela was assisting… had she found out about this? Was she observing X try to lead this one-man crusade of idiotic proportions?

X shook their head, that wasn’t right, it was just the lingering paranoia talking. If Angela knew they were here, she would have already told them off. 

Most likely. 

Regardless, the tablet lit up, briefly flashing the company logo before defaulting to what seemed to be a long list of white text on a black interface. In fact, it seemed more like only the display segments responsible for the white were active, leaving the black to be the black of null light, instead of a reinforced lack of colour by numerous LED signalling a mix of red blue and yellow. 

Was it more efficient than normal? Was that what all interfaces did, and this one just made the transition more obvious for whatever reason? Perhaps it was the lighting of the room playing tricks?

Did it matter? No. X resisted the urge to facepalm, why were they so scatter-brained all of a sudden?

Wait… they… 

Was it not normal to assign a gender to one’s self identity? Sure, X knew that it wasn’t the case for everyone, but the simple detail of not having even a basic, biological gender identity to fall back on was starting to be concerning.

It didn’t feel right, at least in the sense that it felt new… a habit that seemed to have grown all of a sudden with no discernible reason.

Who were they?

Who are they?

This place must be messing with their head, X rationalized. It was only their second day and here they were, hiding in a forbidden room having an identity crisis. 

Maybe it was the influence of the abnormalities nearby? X did remember seeing little readouts for each staff member, outlining both physical health and mental. Perhaps this was the reason?

But, if they were being influenced by abnormalities, in a mental degradation manner even, would that not mean it would be strengthening one of the abnormalities? Do they even work like that?

Did sanity adhere to the Conservation of Energy Laws? Did emotions? 

It seemed idiotic to ask, but were emotions not just chemical reactions at their basest? And chemical reactions adhered to the law, so does that mean by extension emotions do? And then, following the extension of theory, did that mean sanity cannot be created nor destroyed?

No, of course not, it was an insensible leap in logic. The real world wouldn’t work that way.

But did the existence of abnormalities quantify as a ‘thing’ of the real world? Or did, by interacting with such mind boggling creatures, did they reject any right to the natural laws? 

Hell, the clock that controlled time, centralised completely on X’s office, that made no sense. Time was not a resource to be spent and brought at the leisure of moral minds, it was a flow, you cannot halt the tide by placing a stone in its path. It would simply flow around any obstacle you placed in its way. 

The whole concept made X’s brain itch.

They wiped the sweat from their brow and took a moment to breath. To centralise themselves on the present. 

Ew… the sweat was stuck to their hand, almost like the drool of a… dog…

Oh thats not good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More words for the word god, nonsensical ramblings for the nonsensical rambling throne!  
> Hope you enjoyed, sorry for the delay over Christmas, hopefully this'll make it up to you.
> 
> \- Eric


End file.
